cnn's ted rowlands is there. the president spoke very emotionally today. >> reporter: yeah, he obviously talked about gun violatience he in his hometown. he even brought up his own childhood growing up without a father. >> hey, chicago! >> reporter: the president spoke just a few miles from his chicago home and from where 15-year-old hadiya pendleton who he talked about in his state of the union was murdered. >> what happened to hadiya is not unique. it's not unique to chicago. it's not unique to this country. too many of our children are being taken away from us. >> reporter: the president said stopping violence in chicago and other urban areas could be helped by economic opportunity, education and the family, fathers, he said, had to be more involved in their children's lives. >> i wish i'd had a father who was around and involved. >> this right here should be an eye-opener for all parents. >> reporter: we spoke with two aunts of michael ward, one of two men charged with hadiya's murder. ward's family says they